SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- A second-half team all season long, Augustana was on the other end of a second-half comeback on Friday night. Trailing by six at the break, Minnesota Duluth scored 49 points in the final 20 minutes as Augustana dropped an 81-72 decision to Minnesota Duluth. The Vikings move to 13-10 (9-8 NSIC South). Minnesota Duluth is now 13-8 (10-7 NSIC North).

Augustana was led by three players in double-figures, including a game-high 17 points and 4 assists from A.J. Plitzuweit. Trevor Hanson added 13 points and a team-high 7 rebounds, and Matt Cartwright finished with 11 on the night. Eric Tiedman added a career-high eight points for Augustana. Although the Vikings shot nearly 50 percent in the first half, a slower second half saw the home team finish at 42 percent (28-of-67)

The Vikings finished with a season-high nine steals but finished with just 12 points off turnovers. Augustana only got to the line eight times but finished the night 8-of-8. 

The Vikings jumped out to a nice lead in the first half, thanks to some great defense against the two-time player of the week Brandon Myer.  The junior came in averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, but in the first half Augustana held him to just 3-of-7 shooting and seven points. 

Hanson got the Vikings scoring started with a nice turn around jumper in the paint, and following a Bulldog turnover and LeBrun triple, the Vikings walked out a 5-2 lead. 

By the games first media timeout, 14:54 of the first half, UMD led 6-5. Both teams started just 2-of-8 from the field, but the Vikings started to find their rhythm of the break. Eric Tiedman dropped a no-look pass to A.J. Plitzuweit, and the freshman connected for two of six straight points. The freshman heated up in the first half, pushing the Vikings to a 14-11 lead. 

Sparked by five straight points from Jameson Bryan, and an another Dylan LeBrun three, Augustana went on an 8-0 run to take a 24-17 lead. Moments later, Trevor Hanson scored inside plus a foul and the Vikings had opened up their biggest lead of the night at 27-17. 

Cartwright started cooking with a steal and tough layup, and by the 5:00 minute mark of the first half, Augustana had used a 15-2 lead to take complete control. 

The Bulldogs battled back with five straight points, but the Vikings maintained a double-digit advantage in the final minutes of the first half. Plitzuweit got the rack and scored his ninth point of the first, and a left-wing three Schaefer made it a 38-27 game. The Bulldogs closed the half on a mini-run, but Augustana still led 38-32 at halftime. 

In total, seven players scored in the first 20 minutes for the Vikings. Augustana shot 15-of-32 (47 percent) in the first half, and Plitzuweit led the program with nine points and three assists. Minnesota Duluth also shot 47 percent, finishing the first half 14-of-30 from the field. 

The Vikings assisted on 10 of 15 buckets and committed just four turnovers in the first half.

The final 20 minutes started with both sides trading possession, but Plitzuweit knocked down three straight shots to get the offense moving. Hanson buried a triple for the Vikings, but a 6-0 run from UMD made it a 47-45 game. 

The Bulldogs Hunter Plamann came out a timeout to hit a three, and at the 13:54 mark, UMD took their first lead of the night at 48-47.

Although Cartwright got inside and scored for the Vikings, it was a 12-6 run from the Bulldogs that allowed the visitors to open up their biggest lead of the night. 

With 9:02 left and a media timeout, the Vikings need to re-find their rhythm. Although UMD had opened up a 10 point lead, a pair of Tiedmen buckets and a Beau Keeve three cut the deficit to five points at 65-60. 

Now with 5:35 to play, the Vikings sprinted to the finish line. Cartwright and Schaefer sparked a 6-0 run to make it a 67-66 game with 4:04 to play. UMD called a timeout, and coming out of the break the Bulldogs put up nine straight points to put the game on ice. 

Myer finished the evening with a game-high 22 points on 19 attempts. He added nine rebounds. 

Augustana will have now have a short turn around as they will be back at the Sioux Falls Area on Saturday for a 5:30 tip-off with St. Cloud State.